Improvement in oil-chambers for lamps



H. T. HANKS Oil-Chamber for Lamps.

No. 199,20|.. Patented Jan. 15,1878.

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HORACE T. HANKS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN OIL-CHAMBERS FOR LAMPS.

p ifi ati n f rming p r f Letters Patent No. 199,201, dated January 15,1878, application filed December 10, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE TRACY HANKS, of No. 149 Lexington avenue, inthe city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Oil-Chambers for Student and other Lamps, of which thefollowing is a specification:

My invention relates to the method of controlling the flow of the oilfrom an elevated upper chamber down through a lower chamber toward theburner-tube.

The usual method of accomplishingthis object is to employ a separable ormovable chamber provided with an opening in the bottom only, surroundedwith ashort tube or neck, and also provided with a valve and stem,arranged so that on removing, turning the chamber upside down,filling'it through the opening, and then reversing it, the valve willprevent the escape of any considerable part of the oil until theelongated stem strikes the bottom of the main or lower chamber, when thevalve will be pushed up and the oil will escape from the upper into thelower chamber until the lower end of the tube or neck of the openingbecomes submerged in the oil, when further escape is prevented until, bythe gradual consumption of the oil, the level of the oil falls below theneck again, when air will again pass up through the valve-opening and aproportionate quantity of oil will again escape flom the upper into thelower chamber.

The objections to this system are that a top, is required, which allowsmore or less of the oil to pour out when reversed for insertion into themain or lower chamber or reservoir. The filling requires such carefulhandling as many servants are not competent for; and the flow of oil isintermittent to such an extent as to distort the flame of the burnerunder some circumstances.

The object of my invention is to provide a stationary upper chamber, tobe filled from above without removal and without overflow through theburner-tube.

My invention consists in a stationary upper oil-chamber, provided atbottom with a free opening into the lower chamber, surrounded by a neck,and at top with an opening for filling, to which is fitted an air-tightscrewcap, which, when screwed down, presses uponthe top of a valve-stem,so as to open an outlet from the lower chamber into the passage leadingto theburner-tube or chamber.

It also consists in a lower chamber, the openin g from which into theconnecting parts and the burner-chamber is closed with a valve, the stemof which projects upward to a screw cap, and is operated by a spring toclose the valve, and by the screw-cap to open it when the cap is inplace'only.

It also consists in the stem of the valve, operated by a spring and cap,as described, located in or passing through an air-tube which extendsfrom the bottom to the top of the upper chamber, without any openinginto the same.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view outthrough the operating parts, and showing them in position for fillingwith oil. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the air-tube valve, valve-rod,feed-pipe, and rod-spring, substantially cut at right angles to the lineof the other two views; and Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 1, with the topclosed and thevalve open as when the lamp is in operation.

The upper chamber A is provided with a neck, N, through which the oil ispoured in filling it. The neck N is covered by a cap, 0, provided withpacking in the top, to make an air-tight joint when screwed down. Thelower edge of this screw cap, when completely screwed on, strikes andforces down the valverod B, which is located in the air-tube T, andthereby moves the valve V from its seat on the under side of the pipe1?. The chamber A is formed in the upper part of the space inclosed bythe body B, and is separated from the lower chamber B by the diaphragmP, which is preferably made sloping toward the tube T, and has twoperforations, one in which the air-tube T is soldered, and another inwhich the short tube T is also soldered. The valve-rod R operates thevalve Vthrough the stirrup S, which straddles the pipe P, and carriesthe valve V to and from its seat on the under side of the pipe 1?. Theupper part of the tube T is enlarged to receive the spring S at H. Therod R is provided with a head or button, P against which, forconvenience, one end of the spiral spring S acts so as to lift the rodR, the other end resting on the bottom of the enlarged part of theair-tube.

The spring S might be located at any other point on the rod R above thevalve with the same efl'ectas, for instance, within the stirrup; but Iprefer to locate it as shown in the drawing, for convenience inrepairing.

The parts are so adjusted that at all times air can pass through thetube T, as indicated by the arrows at a; and oil may also pass throughthe tube T, as indicated by the arrows b I), Fig. 3, whenever the levelof the oil in the chamber B falls below the lower end of that tube, soas to admit the necessary air to cause the displacement thereof.

It is evident that with the cap G removed the valve V will be raised andheld to its seat by the spring S, and that the oil, being poured throughthe neck N, will flow into and fill the chambers A and B and the tube Tto the same level as the chamber A. It is also evident that on screwingdown the cap 0 fully the valve V will be opened, allowing oil to escapethrough the pipe 1? and the outlet to the burner O, as indicated by thearrows b b, Fig. 3, and causing that in the tube T to drop, followedbythe air entering through the same tube, until the space below thediaphragm P is filled with air down to about the level of the lower endof the tube T, where the level of the oil will fluctuate, according tothe automatic action of the oil and air, which action will go on as theoil is consumed until the upper chamber A becomes empty, when it may befilled again, and the several operations described will be repeated.

The pipe P should properly be located as low down in the chamber B' aspossible, in order that the oil therein may be made to pass through it,and not remain in the bottom of the chamber unused.

The air-tubeTmay be made to pass vertically through the chamber A, withthe valve-rod therein, provided the pipe P be suitably extended andconnected therewith.

I claim as my invention- 1 1. In a fountain-lamp, a stationary upperoil-chamber, A, separated from a lower chamber, B, by a diaphragm, Pperforated for the outlet and inlet, respectively, of the tubes T andT,-provided at top with an opening and an air-tight cap, 0, andtraversed by a valverod, R, which is operated by a spring, S, to close,and the cap 0 to open, a valve, V, for the passage of the oil from thelower chamber B to the burner.

2. In a fountain-lamp, a lower oil-chamber, B, provided with anoutlet-pipe, P, opened and closed by a valve, V, under the control of aspring, S, and a cap, 0, as shown and described.

3. The valve-rod R, for operating the valve V, located in the air-tubeT, and operated by a spring, S, and cap 0, as set forth.

' HORACE TRACY HANKS. Witnesses:

THEODORE R. SHEAR, GEORGE HAMMEL.

